graze

¹ American  

[grayz] / greɪz /

verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.

2. Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.

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verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to feed on (growing grass).

2. to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).

3. to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.

graze ² American  

[grayz] / greɪz /

verb (used with object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub lightly in passing.

2. to scrape the skin from; abrade.

   The bullet just grazed his shoulder.

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verb (used without object)

grazed, grazing

1. to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing.

   to graze against a rough wall.

noun

• grazes
  plural

1. a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.

2. a slight scratch, scrape, or wound made in passing; abrasion.

graze ¹ British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to allow (animals) to consume the vegetation on (an area of land), or (of animals, esp cows and sheep) to feed thus

2. (tr) to tend (livestock) while at pasture

3. informal to eat snacks throughout the day rather than formal meals

4. informal to eat

5. informal (intr) to switch between television channels while viewing without watching any channel for long

6. to pilfer and eat sweets, vegetables, etc, from supermarket shelves while shopping

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noun

1. informal a snack; something to eat

graze ² British  

/ ɡreɪz /

verb

1. to brush or scrape (against) gently, esp in passing

2. (tr) to break the skin of (a part of the body) by scraping

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noun

1. the act of grazing

2. a scrape or abrasion made by grazing

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grazer
  noun
• grazeable
  adjective
• grazingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grazes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of graze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English grasen, Old English grasian, derivative of græs grass

Origin of graze²

First recorded in 1350–1400; perhaps special use of graze ¹

Explanation

Cows graze on grass, and people graze on snacks and finger foods. Graze can also mean to scrape, like when you graze your elbow after falling off your bike. Graze means "to feed on grass" as sheep, horses, cows, do in a meadow — they eat a little at a time, but constantly. People sometimes graze too, munching on small snacks all day long instead of having a real meal. It also means “to touch lightly,” like when I pitch a baseball to you — and I accidentally hit your arm. With luck, the ball only grazed you, meaning you aren't hurt at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

graze grazes grazed grazing

It’s somewhat of an idyllic place where the seashore is lined with wooden houses; sheep graze along the grassy cliffsides and residents wander around the shops in bathrobes and clogs, right after their morning swims.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Cwm Idwal Partnership Officer Rhys Wheldon-Roberts said monitoring was "really important because it allows us to graze in the right areas at the right densities and at the right time".

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

At the 170-acre vineyard, horses and cows graze in a paddock; their dung is used for fertilizer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

The trust said it would engage with Beynon to "further understand" the number of horses that could remain as part of the commoner's rights to graze on the land.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I also went and milked the cow; I am afraid of her going dry immediately if I neglect that much more, since the calf is beginning to graze.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Fresh from his latest victory, Nolan reaches for the stars and grazes the Gods.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

"We've had complaints about it in the past and people obviously raising concerns about cuts and grazes, so it is something we have to factor in," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2024

Following a decade living in Portland, Ore., “I just want it to feel like Southern California,” he says as he grazes a palm over a salvia plant, releasing its aroma.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

He nods his head, including at Kasandra, he quickens his pace, he scampers and grazes, responds and, of course, looks.

From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2023

I imagine that I’m huddled over there with them, wearing a burgundy skirt that grazes my knees and white socks pulled up my calves and an ironed white shirt and neat vest and sparkly barrettes.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Earlier this month, Hurricane Lowell grazed the state, causing widespread power outages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Hawaii is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Lala, which grazed the southern part of the Big Island last month, bringing destructive winds and flash floods.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

The ball grazed his glove before bouncing squarely on his noggin and over the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Grass grows longer in fields that are resting up to two months between being grazed.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

Three deer grazed in the field, a doe and two fawns.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

Booming deer populations in The Broads are becoming a growing issue as the animals can cause damage to the environment through grazing.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Forest Service trailhead, and in summer you can see bison grazing near Spanish Creek, along with whitetail deer and occasionally a black bear or moose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

It mainly affects grazing animals and can lead to sudden death.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Authorities have also allowed a temporary easing of strict rules for making several types of cheese after heatwaves scorched grazing pastures.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Chica was grazing for seaweed, but she stopped to play a very lazy game of coconut soccer—though it was more like catch, because nobody could be bothered to wrestle for the nut.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Related Words

• ricochet
• rub
• scrape
• scratch
• skim
• skip